The following weeks melted away in a haze of unease and careful maneuvering. Chen Fong tiptoed through the intricate web of Viper Clan power struggles, calculating each step and weighing every word with precision. His support for Xie Mu, that cunning political operator, in their recent assembly had earned him a small degree of respect. Still, he recognized that his position in the Viper Clan was still hung by a thread. To solidify his standing, words alone wouldn't be enough—he needed concrete results, and most importantly, he hungered for control.
System Notification: Vassal potential—Xie Mu. Unique skill: Lotus Whisper. Trust levels increasing.
The system showed Xie Mu's growing loyalty. Her Lotus Whisper ability made her vital to clan politics, and Chen Fong knew trust must precede making her his Vassal.
After the council, Chen Fong embedded himself in clan operations, working with the Qin siblings to gather intelligence on all Ten Viper Heads. Each detail from courtyard whispers to discarded notes deepened his grasp of clan politics, aided by the siblings' privileged access.
He fully backed Xie Mu's strategy in meetings and took care not to contradict her in public. With unrest brewing in Purple Lotus City, she needed everything to secure loyalty to the Viper Clan, as well as to herself.
Xie Mu watched him keenly. He always supported her, but he was not simply echoing everything she said. Not another bootlicker as she had initially believed. Though skilled at noticing hidden motives, she found Chen Fong hard to read. She was wary of being outsmarted, but that was not enough reason to get rid of him. Besides, this man always revealed just enough to keep her interested.
"You show great skill," she said smoothly. "You've proven valuable for a newcomer."
Chen Fong smiled slightly. "I serve the clan's interests."
System Notification: Vassal potential—Xie Mu. Affection and trust levels rising.
While her confidence in him strengthened, Chen Fong recognized the importance of patience. He maintained his support of Xie Mu's political endeavors, each victory drawing him nearer to winning her dedication. Yet she wasn't the sole focus of his efforts.
While Chen Fong navigated the delicate politics with Xie Mu, the system gave him a new task.
System Alert: Vassal Potential Detected - Yuan Xia. Unique Skill: Violet Blast.
He spotted Yuan Xia in the training grounds, her scar gleaming in the afternoon sun as she practiced with poisoned throwing needles. Each needle struck its target with deadly accuracy, her movements fluid and precise. The her disciples gave her a wide berth, their fear evident in their hurried steps.
"Your form is perfect," Chen Fong called out. "You never lax even for a simple practice."
Yuan Xia's eyes narrowed. "Bored already with playing politician?" Her next needle struck the dummy's throat with particular force.
"I appreciate all forms of power." Chen Fong stepped closer, noting how she shifted her stance slightly. "Though I hear you prefer more direct applications."
"Talk is cheap." She pulled another needle from her sleeve. "I'd rather act."
"Like that raid on the Iron Talon's outpost?" Chen Fong kept his voice low. "Not sanctioned by the council, was it?"
Yuan Xia froze, her fingers tightening around the needle. "How did you-"
"I make it my business to know things." He moved within striking distance, testing her restraint. "Just as I know you crave more than these training dummies."
"Careful." Her voice carried a deadly edge. "Knowing too much can be hazardous."
"So can too much caution." Chen Fong smiled as her pupils dilated at the challenge. The system hummed, detecting her spike of interest. "But then, you've never been one for caution, have you, Crow?"
Yuan Xia's eyes lit up with interest when Chen Fong approached her on official business about the supply route crisis. Three merchant caravans had been hit in the past week, their guards found dead from precise knife wounds to vital points. The pattern screamed of Mount Tiger Clan involvement.
"I hear you're hunting shadows," Chen Fong said, falling into step beside her as she stalked through the manor's western courtyard.
"Not your concern." She kept walking, but her pace slowed just enough to let him match her stride.
"The Tiger cubs thinks they're clever, targeting our silk shipments." Chen Fong's voice dropped lower. "But they left traces. The guards were killed with identical wounds, suggesting trained assassins rather than common bandits."
Yuan Xia stopped. "You've been investigating. Is this official?"
"I prefer immediate action to waiting for meetings. If the matter can be solved beforehand, there will be less work for the council. And the meetings won't drag on." He winked.
Chen Fong opened a map he had brought and gestured to a point. "Their attack pattern suggests a base here, in the abandoned shrine complex. Small enough to hide a strike team, close enough to hit our routes."
Her fingers traced the marked location. "And you're sharing this because?"
"Because I want in on the hunt." Chen Fong met her gaze. "Let me prove my worth with blood rather than words."
Yuan Xia's scarred face broke into a savage grin. "Finally, something interesting from you." She drew a poisoned needle, testing its point. "Meet me at midnight by the east gate. Bring weapons, not politics."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Chen Fong matched her predatory smirk.
System Alert: Vassal Potential - Yuan Xia. Combat engagement will significantly boost trust levels.
The system agreed to his approach. Yuan Xia needed an ally who understood her language of violence. Tonight would be his chance to show that he spoke it fluently.
The moon cast long shadows across the mountain path as Chen Fong and Yuan Xia crouched behind a fallen log. Below them, torchlight flickered from a merchant caravan making its way through the valley - bait for their trap. The Tiger Clan wouldn't resist such tempting prey.
"Three groups." Yuan Xia's whisper carried the edge of anticipation. "There, there, and there." Her finger traced the shadowy outlines of bandits taking position.
Chen Fong nodded, studying their movements. The Tigers had positioned themselves with surprising discipline - clearly more organized than simple bandits. Their leader must have military experience.
A bird call pierced the night. The caravan guards tensed, hands on weapons. Another call answered from the opposite ridge.
"Now." Yuan Xia's body coiled like a spring.
The bandits struck from three directions. Steel clashed as they engaged the caravan guards. But before they could press their advantage, Chen Fong and Yuan Xia dropped from above.
Chen Fong's Shadow Step carried him into the heart of the nearest group. His blade found gaps in armor with surgical precision. Yuan Xia moved like smoke, her poisoned needles claiming targets before they registered her presence.
"Behind!" Chen Fong spun as a massive axe whistled past his head. The Tiger Clan leader - a burly man with a scarred face - pressed forward with surprising speed.
Yuan Xia flowed around the battle, her Violet Blast spreading a purple mist that had bandits choking and stumbling. "Having fun yet?" She laughed as she drove a needle into a bandit's throat.
Chen Fong parried another axe strike, feeling the raw power behind it. The leader was better than expected. But Chen Fong had faced worse. He feinted left, then unleashed a combination of strikes that drove the bigger man back.
"You're not simple bandits." Chen Fong's blade danced. "Who trained you?"
The leader's only response was a savage swing that split the air. Around them, the battle devolved into chaos as Yuan Xia's poison took its toll. Bandits stumbled and fell, their movements growing sluggish. The caravan guards pressed their advantage, cutting down the weakened attackers.
Chen Fong rolled under another wild swing, the axe embedding itself in the ground where he had stood. The bandit leader's movements grew desperate, his attacks lost precision as he realized his men were falling.
Yuan Xia materialized from the shadows behind him. "Getting sloppy." Her needles struck key pressure points along his spine, injecting her signature slow-acting toxin.
The leader roared, spinning to face this new threat. His axe carved a deadly arc through the air, but Yuan Xia had already slipped away. The poison began its work, his movements growing fractionally slower with each passing second.
Chen Fong seized the opening, striking with a flurry of precise cuts that forced the leader to defend awkwardly. Blood leaked from a dozen small wounds as Yuan Xia's poison spread through his system.
"Can't... feel..." The leader's grip on his axe loosened.
Yuan Xia darted in again, driving more needles into his joints. "That's the point."
Chen Fong closed the distance as the leader stumbled. His blade found the gap between armor plates, sliding between ribs with surgical accuracy. At the same moment, Yuan Xia's final needle struck the base of the leader's skull.
The massive man crashed to his knees, axe clattering to the ground. His eyes rolled back as both poison and steel claimed their toll.
The remaining bandits broke at the sight of their fallen leader. They scattered into the darkness, fleeing into the mountain paths. Their footsteps faded quickly, leaving only the sound of labored breathing and the moans of the wounded.
Yuan Xia led Chen Fong to a hidden tavern in Purple Lotus City's shadows. Ancient secrets lingered in its wooden walls, while incense smoke shrouded their meeting.
"You fight like a demon." Yuan Xia filled Chen Fong's cup, her scarred face bright with admiration. "Most nobles talk big but fear blood. You dance with death like an old friend."
Chen Fong sipped his wine. "Death and I are well acquainted."
"You read their formations, predicted their moves." She leaned in, eyes gleaming. "You've commanded troops before, haven't you?"
System Alert: Yuan Xia's trust level increasing rapidly. Combat success has accelerated bonding potential.
"Perhaps," Chen Fong said, masking his satisfied reaction to the system alert. "Or I'm just gifted at violence."
Yuan Xia's laugh sliced through the smoke. "Drop the false modesty." She poured more wine. "To your hidden talents. The Tigers and I won't forget this night."
Her warm tone revealed more than drunkenness. Their battlefield bond had achieved what politics couldn't - in Yuan Xia's world, blood spoke louder than words, and Chen Fong was now fluent.
In the Viper Clan's treasury chamber, Lan Zhi traced her fingers across columns of numbers with methodical precision. Scrolls and ledgers covered her massive oak desk, each representing contracts and agreements that kept Purple Lotus City's economy flowing. The afternoon sun filtered through paper screens, casting shadows across her austere features.
Chen Fong watched her work from the doorway. The system hummed with recognition.
System Alert: Vassal Potential - Lan Zhi. Unique Skill: Viper Pact. High value target.
"Your proposal regarding the silk merchant guild shows promise," Lan Zhi spoke without looking up. "The projected returns seem optimistic."
"Unlike words, it's impossible to hide lies within numbers." Chen Fong stepped into her domain. "As long as it's properly motivated."
Her brush paused mid-stroke. "You are free to say coercion."
"I mean incentive." Chen Fong picked up a contract scroll, admiring the intricate seal work. "Your Viper Pacts ensure compliance through consequence. The threat of ruin keeps deals honest."
Lan Zhi's eyes narrowed. "Most find my methods extreme."
"Most lack vision." Chen Fong set the scroll down carefully. "Money flows like blood through Purple Lotus City. Your pacts are the vessels that direct that flow. Without structure, without consequences, chaos emerges."
"You understand then." Lan Zhi's voice carried a hint of surprise. "That true power lies not in violence, but in binding agreements."
"Violence is crude." Chen Fong gestured to her ledgers. "But a well-crafted contract is an artistry. It shapes behavior, influences decisions, creates order from chaos. Your pacts don't just punish breaches. They prevent them."
For the first time, Lan Zhi's stern expression softened slightly. "Few appreciate the elegance of control."
"I'm glad there are fools," Chen Fong met her gaze. "Because we will profit from their foolishness."
In the days that followed, Chen Fong wove himself into the Viper Clan's economic matters. He spotted a failing silk merchant's desperate need for capital and proposed terms that would bind them to exclusive trade agreements. When grain prices threatened to spike, he orchestrated deals with three competing suppliers to maintain stable costs.
"Your intervention with the Wang family saved us considerable coin," Lan Zhi said during a morning meeting, her brush moving across ledgers in practiced strokes. "Though I question your methods."
"The market responds to certainty." Chen Fong examined a contract scroll. "By offering them protection from their creditors, we secured their loyalty at a fraction of the cost."
Lan Zhi's fingers traced the edge of her desk. "And when they default?"
"Their assets transfer to us, including their southern trade routes." Chen Fong smiled. "Either way, the clan profits."
Her eyes narrowed, studying him with the same intensity she applied to her accounts. Each time Chen Fong proposed a deal, she dissected his reasoning, probing for weaknesses or hidden motives. Yet as his predictions proved accurate and profits flowed, her skepticism began to mix with a stream of respect.
System Alert: Lan Zhi - Trust level increasing. Financial success strengthening potential bond.
"You understand leverage," she said after he negotiated favorable terms with a spice cartel. "Most see only coins and goods. You see the threads that bind it all together."
Chen Fong maintained his careful distance, letting his results speak louder than words. Each successful venture added weight to his counsel, while Lan Zhi watched and evaluated, her calculating gaze never quite revealing whether she saw him as an asset or a threat.
System Notification: Vassal potential—Lan Zhi. Affection and trust levels rising.
Chen Fong sat in his private study within Viper Manor, reviewing intelligence reports from his growing network. Qin Feng knelt beside his desk, her fingers tracing patterns on a detailed map of Purple Lotus City's noble district.
"The Zhang family's second daughter meets secretly with Iron Talon messengers," she said, marking the location with a red dot. "Their servants talk too freely in the market."
Qin Ru emerged after searching the bookshelf, dropping a scroll on the desk. "The weapon shipments through the eastern gate doubled last week. The guard captain has been paid to look the other way."
Chen Fong absorbed the information, connecting threads between seemingly unrelated events. Each piece revealed the complex web of alliances and betrayals threading through the clan.
"Well done," he said. "What of the other Viper Heads?"
"Yuan Xia has been asking about you." Qin Feng's lips curved. "She admires how you handled the Tiger Clan raid."
"And Lan Zhi approves of your trade proposals," Qin Ru added. "Though she suspects there is more to your sudden interest in clan finances."
Chen Fong nodded, considering his next moves. He'd carefully cultivated relationships with the male Viper Heads too - funding Wen Shi's Poison lab expansion while debating Zhao Hun on Military training regimes. Each interaction revealed their motivations: Wen Shi craved only for science, while Zhao Hun sought to expand his political influence.
But it was the female Heads who held his true interest. The system hummed constantly in their presence, highlighting their potential as vassals. Xie Mu's strategic brilliance, Yuan Xia's deadly efficiency, Lan Zhi's economic control - each offered unique advantages if properly bound to him.
"Keep watching," Chen Fong instructed the sisters. "Every detail matters."
They bowed and withdrew, leaving him to his study. The Viper Clan's power structure spread before him in his mind like an colorful game board, each piece requiring its own careful strategy.